Tiger Softball

LIVINGSTON, Ala. – The University of West Alabama softball team will be making its first appearance in the Gulf South Conference Softball Championship since the 1997 season. UWA opens the eight-team event on Friday, May 1, against GSC West Champion Arkansas Tech. First Pitch is set for 9:30 a.m. at Southaven’s Greenbrook Softball Complex. The game will be carried on WZNJ 106.5 FM and at athletics.uwa.edu.

The Tigers The Tigers earned the final spot from the East on the final day of the regular season. UWA topped in-state rival North Alabama, 2-0, on Sunday to earn a berth into the field in Southaven, Miss. UWA entered Sunday’s final day needing a win and a UAH sweep of West Georgia to extend the season in the GSC Tournament. The win on Sunday over UNA also marked one of many milestones that the 2009 ballclub has achieved. The two-run win pushed UWA’s overall win total to 42, matching the school record for wins in a season. The 1988 squad under Liz Kelly posted a 42-13 overall mark. UWA placed six on the 2009 All-Gulf South Conference East Division Teams, headlined by two-time All-GSC First Team honoree Ashley Edgar.

Sophomores Valisha Fincher and Kelli Hartley join Edgar on the First Team. Edgar, a senior catcher from Roseville, Calif. earned All-GSC First Team status as a junior a season ago. She joined the UWA program in 2008 after a two-year stint at Sierra Junior College. The Tiger trio of Emily White, Laura Bagwell and Lauren Mills were tabbed to the league’s Second Team. Bagwell, White, Fincher and Hartley are repeat selections, as all four were voted all-conference in 2008.

Hartley, a native of Northport, Ala., leads the Red and White in hits (71), RBIs (70), runs scored (57) along with sharing home runs honors with Fincher. Both sophomores have registered 15 round-trippers on the season. Fincher leads the GSC in walks with 42 and ranks third in nation in walks per game. Edgar, a mainstay behind the dish for UWA, leads the ballclub and has collected 56 hits, 18 for extra bases. Defensively, she has punched out six on the base paths and picked off four.

Bagwell, an anchor at third base, has contributed 14 doubles and six home runs on the season. White, a multi-position player, has belted 12 dingers on the season, including her first career triple earlier in the campaign. The senior from Ragland, Ala., will depart UWA as the all-time leader in games played (206). She surpassed Keli Jo Lenz (1998-01) this past weekend.

Mills, UWA’s primary designated player, garners All-GSC status in her first season in a Tiger uniform. The Saskatoon, Saskatchewan-transfer from Western Nebraska Community College, sports a .314 batting clip entering post season play. Mills has turned in 38 runs and driven in 35. She leads the team in hit by pitches with six.

The Field UWA enters the GSC Tournament with a 5-10 mark against the field in Southaven, Miss. The Red and White recorded six wins against the GSC West at this year’s GSC Crossover in Decatur, Ala. the lone setback was against Arkansas at Monticello on the final day. In the earlier meeting against the Golden Suns, the Tigers erased a 7-1 deficit to claim a 9-8 decision in extra innings. ATU treks to Southaven with a 40-20 overall mark, 19-9 within league play. The Green and Gold have won 15 of the last 16 games, dating back to the GSC Crossover. ATU made a run to the GSC Championship game in the 2008 tournament before falling to UAH. If UWA wins the 9:30 a.m. tilt, it will face the winner of the UAH and Delta State contest at 5 p.m. on Friday.